[nibiyabi]

I'm still in disbelief that the Warriors lost by 14 at home.

 

[ojnihs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree, he's a big part of why the NBA is doing so well.

David Stern's image of the NBA is a friendly game where there should be no unintentional contact or trash talking. That's not how the game of basketball is played on the playgrounds in the world. I'm also pretty positive that that is not how the players in the NBA grew up playing the game, in a pretty playground where everyone is kind and friendly to each other. Even if I play ball with my friends there's plenty of trash talking and hard contact. How do you take that away from basketball? By creating insane amounts of fouls and rules that shouldn't be there in the first place. Stern is simply ruining the game of basketball because he wants the NBA to be a family game, where parents can sit down with their kids to watch basketball that doesn't involve incidents that would cause parents to cover their childrens' eyes. It's simply ridiculous.

The NBA needs to get rid of Stern and refs like Salvatore, who IMHO, single handedly ruined the finals last year with that ridiculous call for Dwayne Wade (surprise surprise) that determined the game with free throws. Give me a break. No game, let alone a finals game, should be determined on free throws. Get rid of Stern, get new refs, and get rid of preferential treatment to so called stars Lefraud and D-Wade.

EDIT: There goes the neighborhood. Suns lose two of their major players for one game while Spurs lose Horry for two.

 

[virometal]

Doesn't matter.

The Bulls taking the Pistons to 3-2 matters though.

 

[floydenheimer]

I like the dress code rule, millionaires should dress decently as they have enough money to do so. I'm required to dress nicely at my work, they make more money in a day than I do in a year, why shouldn't they look good when at work? The no hand checking rule has basically saved the NBA. It was horribly boring with guys just riding the ball handler, TV ratings were plummeting. No one wanted to watch boring wrestling matches. Basketball is a game of skill and positioning, not how hard you can hit people or how well you can push people around. The NFL has that covered. Notice how every loves the Warriors and Suns? They play open and free, they don't grab and hold and push, they just run and use their athleticism. Stern took over the league when it was barely holding on, in the coked out 80s. He deserves a lot of credit for cleaning it up and making it marketable to everyone. Yes, children should be able to enjoy basketball. Stern also completely owns the NBAPA and makes sure that the CBA is gets done before a lockout could happen. It happened once, but it was short and the season wasn't lost. Baseball has suffered tons of stoppages. NFL might be heading for a lockout/strike soon. NHL? Ouch.

Trash talking still goes on plenty in the NBA, you're crazy if you don't think so. There's plenty of physicality in the NBA, it's just different from the bad boy Piston thuggery of old. This is professional basketball, I'd like to see guys do things I can't do. I can sucker punch and commit flagrant fouls just fine in pickup games. What I can't do is soar through the air and make acrobatic plays.

Yes there are some bad refs in the NBA, all sports have them. Salvatore and Palmer are horrible; that's not Stern's fault, there's always bad apples. I think Salvatore's games have been reduced due to last year's performance.

The only thing that Stern has done in his tenure I can really fault him for was the new ball. He shouldn't have introduced it so quickly without exhaustive testing by current players. At least he was good enough to admit he made a mistake and fixed it.

Also, he has put the NBA on the world stage, people of all races are now interested in hoops, which dramatically increases the talent pool. His charity programs are huge, giving aid in 3rd world countries, helping dying/sick children, and they've done a lot of work for disaster areas as well. Know where all those fines go? To charity.

Stern for President!

 

[floydenheimer]

On another note... Yay the Spurs are rewarded again for playing dirty. I don't blame the league, it's the rule and every player knows it. I blame Horry the most, he's a cunning and classless player. He got exactly the reaction he wanted. He rolled the dice, knew he'd get suspended and wanted to take someone(s) with him.
I heard Iavaroni (Suns asst coach) in an interview today and he said he told the bench that he thought something was going to happen and not to leave the bench. Unfortunately Diaw and Amare were in the game at the time and didn't get the memo. What I'm somewhat disappointed in is that Duncan got let off the hook for leaving the bench when Jones knocked Elson down. I guess it didn't count as a "fight" because there wasn't any scuffle afterwards.
Is it time for Jalen Rose to step up? Send Pat Burke and Sean Marks in to start returning the body checks! Just when you thought this series couldn't get more interesting...

 

[ilovesocks]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . .

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovesocks /img/forum/go_quote.gif NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . .

x2.... its a bitter-sweet ending to an incredible run by my boys. Started in mid-march.

It was a 1-point game with ~2:40 left

Once again my fellas just couldn't bring their A-game in crunch time on the road. Although they played pretty good defense all series, something Don Nelson teams are not known for.

Hats off to Jerry Sloan, Derek Fisher (IMHO he played a very good series) and the Jazz fans too, better team won.

 

[floydenheimer]

It was a nice run while it lasted. The Wars stopped driving and dishing and just forced shots. I think there were 4 Kirilenkos out there, AK47 is back!

 

[purk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif On another note... Yay the Spurs are rewarded again for playing dirty. I don't blame the league, it's the rule and every player knows it. I blame Horry the most, he's a cunning and classless player. He got exactly the reaction he wanted. He rolled the dice, knew he'd get suspended and wanted to take someone(s) with him. I heard Iavaroni (Suns asst coach) in an interview today and he said he told the bench that he thought something was going to happen and not to leave the bench. Unfortunately Diaw and Amare were in the game at the time and didn't get the memo. What I'm somewhat disappointed in is that Duncan got let off the hook for leaving the bench when Jones knocked Elson down. I guess it didn't count as a "fight" because there wasn't any scuffle afterwards. Is it time for Jalen Rose to step up? Send Pat Burke and Sean Marks in to start returning the body checks! Just when you thought this series couldn't get more interesting...

Trust me, being the Spurs fan I'm also quite upset. I don't think the NBA should suspend Amarie or Diaw and reward the Spurs for Horry action.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif On another note... Yay the Spurs are rewarded again for playing dirty. I don't blame the league, it's the rule and every player knows it. I blame Horry the most, he's a cunning and classless player. He got exactly the reaction he wanted. He rolled the dice, knew he'd get suspended and wanted to take someone(s) with him. I heard Iavaroni (Suns asst coach) in an interview today and he said he told the bench that he thought something was going to happen and not to leave the bench. Unfortunately Diaw and Amare were in the game at the time and didn't get the memo. What I'm somewhat disappointed in is that Duncan got let off the hook for leaving the bench when Jones knocked Elson down. I guess it didn't count as a "fight" because there wasn't any scuffle afterwards. Is it time for Jalen Rose to step up? Send Pat Burke and Sean Marks in to start returning the body checks! Just when you thought this series couldn't get more interesting...

by the letter of the law the suspensions seem deserved. it's the law that needs to be revisited because it doesn't match what the spirit of the law attempts to do, namely prevent further escalation of an altercation.

still, while the law says such and such, there was some room for interpretation and stu jackson could have interpreted otherwise. for example, the rule states that "anyone leaving the vicinity of the bench..." will be suspended. one can argue that amare and diaw were still within the vicinity of the bench. also, what counts as an "altercation" is up for interpretation. duncan and bowen clearly left the bench and stepped onto the court after a small altercation started to brew in the 2nd quarter. stu jackson said that it was not an altercation, so clearly there is some interpretation needed when enforcing the rule.

i'm not a fan of either team (live near sac but will be moving to phoenix next month) but have thoroughly enjoyed the series. i'm just sorry that a boneheaded move by horry would mar the series and cause such an imbalance for game 5. horry is, yes, a crafty veteran, as is bowen. playing hard and playing dirty are two different things, IMO. i love bowen's defense, but i hate his dirty tactics at times...let's just hope that the suspensions won't help determine the outcome of this series (though i'm not optimistic)...

 

[mdjenders]

congrats to utah for being the first team to the final four. gs just couldnt make their shots down the stretch in this series. go suns tomorrow!!!! stick it to stu and the dirty spurs.

 

[virometal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino /img/forum/go_quote.gif by the letter of the law the suspensions seem deserved.

I agree with that It's unfortunate but the blame lies with Amare and Diaw. Whether they deserve it or not is debatable, but the fact that everyone, in the league except them apparently, knows not to run out on the court.

If floyd is correct that a coach even told them not to go on the court, it's even more obvious - youthful mistake and they'll learn the hard lesson.

Too bad, but how many times in sports do we see the short handed rally for one game? Ultimately, when the dust clears, this could be a tremendous advantage for Phoenix. It might give them the edge tonight. Phoenix is going to have to win two games in a row sometime in this series. Might as well start right now if you're them.


Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer blame Horry the most, he's a cunning and classless player. He got exactly the reaction he wanted. He rolled the dice, knew he'd get suspended and wanted to take someone(s) with him.

Boy, I thought I had some conspiracy theories.

--

BTW, it's time to tune back in to the Pistons/Bulls series. Where's the Pistons/Bulls guys. What is going on?

 

[floydenheimer]

Let me clarify- Iavaroni said it on a hunch minutes before the altercation happened, it was during play and Amare and Diaw were currently on the court playing when he reminded the bench.

You don't think Horry is smart/evil enough to try and get people suspended? He's a wily vet (and a jerk), I think that was his purpose in hitting Nash. He's their 9th man, if he could get a Suns starter to go down with him, mission accomplished.

 

[virometal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif You don't think Horry is smart/evil enough to try and get people suspended?

I'm all for a good conspiracy theory, and sure, it could happen. But there are more likely scenarios.

The Spurs just blew their last chance at the game. Despite controlling the contest, Phoenix made a comeback. It's the end of the game, you're tired, thinking about retiring. Your team has been chasing Steve Nash all night and here he comes barreling down the floor. The series has been physical; everyone's fuse is short. It's human nature. I've seen it in on every level - the hard flagrant foul at the end of a game.

Your version is much more romantic though. Maybe one day, we'll find out the real truth.

I just wanted to add that maybe Phoenix fans will be decked out in hockey masks tonight? Boy, that would really suck for front row HD girl watching.

 

[purk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let me clarify- Iavaroni said it on a hunch minutes before the altercation happened, it was during play and Amare and Diaw were currently on the court playing when he reminded the bench. You don't think Horry is smart/evil enough to try and get people suspended? He's a wily vet (and a jerk), I think that was his purpose in hitting Nash. He's their 9th man, if he could get a Suns starter to go down with him, mission accomplished.

C'mon....I doubt that was his intention. Be real. I don't like this situation either but to speculate that he was trying to get Amarie and Diaw suspended is absurd. Let's face it, the Suns are just as dirty as the Spurs. How about the Ginobili black eye incident? He didn't even get a call. Instead of kept whining, he took over the third quarter and the Spurs won. Trust me, what Horry did was un-called for and he deserves the two games suspension, but you can't call the whole team dirty. Robert Horry is a future Hall of Fame player and his action was bad but was nothing like that of Reja Bell CL to Kobe during the last year play off.